Merkel reaffirms commitment to Iran nuclear deal

Europe can not put all of its trust in the US when it comes to protection and should instead "take its destiny into its own hands", German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said.

Israeli authorities have made multiple statements that they will not tolerate a permanent Iranian military presence in Syria and will not allow use of Syrian territory as a launch pad for producing and delivering modern weaponry, and especially precision missiles, to Lebanon.

French diplomats said Trump's decision, announced in a short address to the nation Tuesday, was expected despite efforts by PresidentEmmanuel Macron to sway the usa leader.

Earlier Thursday, Merkel said that the latest hostilities in Syria were a matter of "war and peace" for the region. "And I can only call on all sides to exercise restraint here".

The 2015 deal, worked out by the United States, France and four other worldwide powers as well as Iran, eased sanctions in exchange for Tehran limiting its nuclear program.

"We also continue to call on Russian Federation to use its influence to press those in Syria to cease their destabilising activity and work towards a broader political settlement", he added.

"Of course this decision is a worry, there are tensions", a second official said. It's her latest retort to Trump, who this week withdrew the USA from a nuclear accord with Iran that European powers say they will uphold.

The Trump administration portrayed its rejection of that agreement as a response, in part, to Teheran's military interventions in the Middle East, underpinning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's tough line towards Iran. "Europe needs to take his own destiny into their own hands, and this is our task for the future", said Merkel.

"Let's face it, Europe is still in its infancy with regard to the common foreign policy", she said.

Pointing to the civil war in Syria, Merkel said that numerous global conflicts today were flaring on the doorstep of Europe.

Critics of the Macron reform agenda in Germany see calls for a Eurozone finance minister, a budget, a banking union, a parliament, investment and social transfer policy tools as violating German sovereignty. "Other powers. haven't kept their word", he added, without specifying the powerful countries he was referring to.

One hope is that the Trump administration's foreign policy will serve as the glue binding together countries with similar interests in, say, dealing with Vladimir Putin's Russian Federation or tacking stability challenges in the Middle East. "In particular, this means that we must do everything we can to finally achieve a lasting political solution to the Syrian conflict - to end the suffering of the Syrian people, but also so as not to jeopardize stability in the entire region".